Valery's English Blog

  Prompt Response: A time when someone challenged my opinion was when we were talking about going to school in-state vs. out-of-state. I would really like to go to college out-of-state, but most of my friends would rather go to school in-state and we were each showing our viewpoints. I would prefer going to school out-of-state because I want to explore other places and see what's out there outside of Georgia. Additionally, I want to become independent from my parents and I believe that a great way to do that would be by going out-of-state. However, my friend brought up the point that going to school in-state is less expensive and they prefer feeling closer to home. In the end, we reached a point where we both kind of changed our minds and we were more understanding of each other's viewpoints on the matter.  Summary: We copied down vocabulary into our notebooks and did exercises to practice using the words we learned.  Reflection: We learned fifteen new vocabulary words th...

  Prompt Response: There have been many times where I've worried about what others think of me. One of those days was yesterday when I went out with the boy I'm talking to. In general, I'm very reserved when it comes to the things that I like and I rarely ever share things like my music taste and things that I like doing, however he always encourages me to share those things and to be more confident in what I like. Yesterday we went out to Ponce City Market and we kept going back to certain stores because I was indecisive on whether or not I actually wanted to get certain things that had caught my attention and after we went out, I was worried about what he thought about me and how indecisive I had been. I wondered if me going back and forth bothered him or if he found me not making a decision as frustrating. Why was I so worried about what he thought? I was worried because I highly value what he thinks of me not only because I like him, but also because I admire him as a p...

  Prompt Response: I agree with the antithesis, "We spend more time connecting online but less time connecting in person." I agree because, in my personal experience, I have had various interactions where I will try to have a conversation with someone and they'll be on their phone. For example, last week, I was trying to talk to my dad about my day, but he was mindlessly watching TV, not giving me a glance. I think that people have become very attached to their phones to the point that they don't value in-person interactions as much. People get so plugged into the digital world, yet tune out of the real world.  Summary: In class we learned and practiced using questioning devices.  Reflection: We learned about how to use questioning devices which is an important skill as it could not only make one's point stronger, but it could also help the writer gain the audience's trust. For example, using a hypophora could tell the audience that one has already considered ...

  Prompt Response: A time that I exaggerated something to get a point across was when my parents and I went to a family friend's party. The party was outside and once it got dark outside, it got chilly. When my legs get cold, they tend to start hurting a lot and that day it was simply unbearable. I kept asking if we could go home due to my pain but my parents brushed me off. I went on to say that I was freezing and that my legs were going to fall off if we didn't go home. Not long after, we ended up going home. I think that my exaggeration made my point more effective because it allowed my parents to see how much I wanted to go home from how cold I got.  Summary: We learned about different rhetorical devices, such as hyperboles, understatements, litotes, and antithesis, as well as how to use them. Reflection: We learned about rhetorical devices and how to use them in our writing. It's important to learn about rhetorical devices because they can make the author's writing...

  Prompt Response: One thing that I did well in my argument essay is that I had strong evidence. My evidence was made up of specific, personal experiences that connected back to my claim and pulled in various perspectives to my argument, giving it depth. One area that I need to improve in is my commentary. Often times, my commentary became highly repetitive because I started overthinking my writing. Next time I need to relax and make sure that I answer the "So What?" so that I can thoroughly explain my evidence. Regardless, my commentary did make some progress as I used to feel like I would restate my evidence.  Summary: In class we looked at our feedback from our essays and we learned how to use Adobe in order to create our poetry posters.  Reflection: We went over our feedback and things that we need to work on as a class. This is important because by looking at feedback, one can reflect on the things that they need to work on and see what they can do better next time....

  Prompt Response: A conversation that changed me would be when I asked my mom why my brothers got so much freedom yet I was so sheltered. My brothers got to do as they pleased meanwhile I could never leave the house. She told me that it was simply because I was a girl which made me realize that in the eyes of society, I would always be weaker in comparison to a man. It was an idea that was embedded in my culture and something that we see constantly in society. Unfortunately, the world is not going to change and women will always be viewed as inferior to men which is something that I will continue to encounter in my life. That doesn't mean I have to let it define me though, the conversation with my mom just taught me that I have to put in more effort to have people see me as more.  Summary: In class we completed a worksheet that broke down the figurative language use in the poem "Constantly Risking Absurdity."  Reflection: We learned how to break down a poem to learn what...